Prince Harry follows in footsteps of Charles and Diana by choosing Australia for first tour

The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, visited Australia in 1983
- by
Alexander Britton

15 Oct
2018

The Duke of Sussex is following in his mother and father’s footsteps by choosing Australia for his first tour with his new bride Meghan Markle.

Harry and Meghan’s tour – which will also see the couple take in New Zealand, Fiji and the Kingdom of Tonga – comes 25 years after the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, travelled Down Under for their first tour.

The couple were accompanied by the then baby William for the visit, which saw the trio visit Alice Springs, Uluru/Ayers’ Rock, and Sydney.

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Charles took in the surf at one of the world’s most famous beaches, Bondi, as part of the 23,601 mile and 41-day trip.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's sojourn in the southern hemisphere will be more brief but will see the couple retracing parts of the path once trod by his father and mother.

The couple will also visit Bondi Beach, where they will meet a local surfing community group which raises awareness for mental health and wellbeing.

The Prince and Princess of Wales with Prince William on a rug

PA

Prince William, then 10-months old, went on the tour to Australia and New Zealand

PA

In New Zealand, Harry and Meghan will tour the capital Wellington and visit Auckland and then Rotorua, which is famed for its Maori culture, and then head to Abel Tasman National Park in the South Island.

Similarly, Charles and Diana took in the traditional Maori culture 25 years ago in Auckland and the Bay of Islands, where the couple were rowed into the area in a traditional canoe.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – Harry’s brother and sister-in-law – came to Australia and New Zealand with a young Prince George in 2014 for an 18-day visit.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George meet bilby George at the zoo

Chris Jackson/PA

William and his wife were invited by the governments of the two countries and took part in a commemoration of Anzac Day as well as heading to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, where Harry and Meghan are also scheduled to visit.

While at the zoo, William, Kate and George saw a bilby enclosure which contained a marsupial named after the youngest royal on the tour.